Last Sunday we started boiling down the sap. Here, Bristol helps Granny and Grumpa filter the sap.
It was very windy, so we decided to preheat the sap on propane burners.
The plan was to keep some sap warm on the top of the stove and to move it to pans lower down on the stove.
It was so windy, "How windy was it?" "It was so windy that the wind didn't blow, PEI sucks!"har,har,har , it was a real struggle to keep things at a boil.
We did manage to finish off about a cup for Bristol to take home and this bit of unfinished syrup.
Bristol gets a ride around the property.
On Monday I abandoned the wood stove and moved the propane burners behind the garage, out of the wind.
Later, Mr. Slate brought over a third burner.
We managed about three liters of "unfinished syrup before the torrential rains shut us down.
Tuesday morning, after the rains.
There's the fire pit.
A blurry pic of our ermine turning into a stoat. We bring in the peanut butter and suet ball every night because of the raccoons. You will see the stoat trying to drag the suet away. Here's a link to a video. I apologize for my apprentice turning the camera side ways half way thru. Hope you don't get vertigo. Click me
What's missing from this picture?
Can you not see not now? Yup, took out the tree line. I pulled most of them out of the ice. I did use the ski-doo-bee-doo to take empty propane tanks to Bedrock.
So, Thursday was a big day, we went to town again! Because the shore gets pretty funky later in the day, we walked across the lake. The ice remembers every snowmobile track.
Bill's chair is waiting for him.
Looking back home.
Halfway to Bedrock.
Towards the pointy end.
Into Fennell's bay.
Thru the narrows to the round end.
Yeah Lee, you can just drive right in, snicker.
Input side of the Little Tomiko river culvert. So far, the river has just barely crested on to the road. While I think of it, remember that little, bone jarring wash out at the 1K marker last year? It's back, but, don't worry, I got Kat and Cat working on it right now.
Output side.
Down stream.
Up stream.
Oh, I almost forgot, we also got ownership of a 2012 F150. Mopar friends, I know, don't get mad, but, when you live on a fixed military pension, ya gotta spend yer shekles wisely, and it was a real good deal. I forgot to take a pic, but it looks like this one.
Our snow ramp this morning.
Right beside the ramp.
We have a beach!
Today I finished off the syrup.
You gotta get it to 219F, so warn yer self a little earlier.
Total haul, almost 4 liters. We are already planning to improve production for next year....Richie?
Whoa, as I am sitting here an otter/mink is running east to west across our bay. We saw it going the other way Wednesday. I'm saying it's an otter 'cause it was out there a few hundred yards and otters are a lot bigger than minks. In the video you will see it sliding. A few years ago we watched one trying to slide, but it wasn't slippery enough, so, it would fetch up and it's butt would go over it's back. It was funny, like a cartoon. Here's today's video. Click me
So, my old eyes are tired and there are no jokes for you, I mean it, really. Awe, geesh, you get me every time. But, no more than three.
